Health Equity

Dr. M. Cornejo – Assistant Professor, Department of Communication

M. Cornejo (PhD, 2022, UC Santa Barbara) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at Cornell University. Dr. Cornejo deploys multiple methodologies (e.g., semi-structured interviews, cross-sectional & longitudinal surveys) to pursue and cultivate three (3) research goals: (1) Examine dynamic interpersonal communication processes (e.g., family socialization messages) among legally objectified migrants, such as migrants impacted by the USA’s immigration incarceration systems, their family members, and their social citizen counterparts (e.g., lawyers, & immigration officials, such as ICE). (2) Explore how structural barriers and disapproving, anti-migrant messages relate to the health and well-being of objectified migrants. (3) Pinpoint how legally objectified migrants utilize communication identity management and advocacy strategies to challenge the inequities and barriers they encounter within various social systems and environments, such as immigration detention centers.

Dr. Cornejo’s research has been published in leading journals in the field of Communication, such as the Journal of Communication, Health Communication, and the Journal of Applied Communication Research.

Dr. William Lodge II – Assistant Professor of Health Equity and Public Policy, Jeb E. Brooks of Public Policy

Dr. William Lodge II is an Assistant Professor of Health Equity and Public Policy at the Jeb E. Brooks School. He is a behavioral and social scientist specializing in HIV primary and secondary prevention, with a particular focus on gender and sexual minority health both domestically and internationally. He received his PhD in Behavioral and Social Health Sciences from Brown University School of Public Health.

Using an interdisciplinary approach, his work applies social theories to public health, focusing on the intersections between individual, interpersonal, and structural factors contributing to health inequities. His expertise spans social epidemiology, behavioral science, and mixed-methods research, emphasizing community engagement, policy, and health equity. Dr. Lodge’s research agenda is centered on the development and evaluation of social and behavioral interventions aimed at addressing HIV risk, substance use disorder, and mental health conditions among marginalized populations.

Dr. Kayla Wolf – Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering

Dr. Kayla Wolf is an assistant professor in biomedical engineering at the Meinig School. Her lab is addressing clinical needs in kidney and women’s reproductive health by engineering urogenital tract tissues and investigating biophysical forces that direct tissue function and disease.  Combining tools such as organoids, tissues on-chip, and bioprinting, she ultimately aims to identify new therapeutic targets and advanced cell-based therapies. Prior to this she was an NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA Postdoctoral Fellow in Dr. Jennifer Lewis’s laboratory at Harvard University, where she developed a stem cell-derived perfusable kidney collecting duct on-chip that can be used for disease modeling or embedded within biomanufactured tissue. She received her Ph.D. in bioengineering from the joint program at University of California, Berkeley – University of California, San Francisco. During her graduate studies, she investigated how tumor cell-matrix interactions influence cell invasion and could therefore be leveraged as therapeutic targets. Dr. Wolf is a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Predoctoral Fellow (F31), and Siebel Fellow. Prior to her PhD, she earned a B.S. in chemistry and a B.S. in human biology from Michigan State University.

Infection Biology

Dr. Ana Bento – Assistant Professor, Department of Public and Ecosystems Health

Dr. Lisa-Marie Nisbett – Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology

Dr. Aisha Burton– Assistant Research Professor, Department of Microbiology

Aisha Burton is a Provost New Faculty Fellow (2024 – 2026) and an incoming NIH Cornell Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation (FIRST) Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology (2026). She earned her B.A. in Liberal Arts and Sciences with a concentration in Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2012. Following this, Aisha spent a transformative year as a NIGMS Post-Baccalaureate Fellow (MU-PREP) under the mentorship of Dr. Judy Wall at the University of Missouri. In 2019, she successfully obtained her Ph.D. in Microbiology from Indiana University, mentored by Dr. Dan Kearns. Prior to joining Cornell, Aisha served as a postdoctoral fellow, generously supported by the NIGMS Postdoctoral Research Associate Training (PRAT) Program, collaborating with Dr. Gisela Storz at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Services (2019 – 2023).

Quantitative Biomedical Sciences

Dr. Arunika Das – Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences

Dr. Shaila Musharoff – Assistant Professor, Department of Computational Biology

Dr. Zeribe Nwosu – Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics

Dr. María Angélica Bravo Núñez – Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics

Dr. Glenn Simmons, Jr. – Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences

Dr. Simmons, Jr., is a cancer investigator and award-winning spoken word artist. As a Professor of Cancer Biology in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Cornell University, his work as a molecular biologist focuses on understanding the connection between inflammation and cancer and the disparities of cancer diagnoses and treatment in communities of color. Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, he has focused his investigative efforts to test wastewater samples from wastewater plants in several communities in Minnesota, to assist in identifying and tracking asymptomatic outbreaks. A gifted orator, Simmons uses his storytelling skills to bring forth personal narratives, legacy and his origin story. He has received top honors from both regional and national spoken word events. He routinely delivers keynote addresses and presentations across the medical community, corporations and non-profit organizations.

In 2020, before joining Cornell he was named Outstanding Junior Mentor of the Year from the University of Minnesota Clinical and Translational Science Institute, one of approximately 60 medical research institutions working together to improve the way clinical and translational research is conducted nationwide, enhancing its efficiency and quality.

Simmons believes the key to inspiring Black communities and particularly, young men and boys, is through representation and creating a love of science. Through mentoring across a wide array of organizations, Simmons’ gift for oration and explanation inspires curiosity and confidence in his pupils.

Cornell CANN Model

At Cornell, we are committed to supporting our faculty and allowing them to thrive professionally and personally. The Cornell FIRST approach to Faculty Development follows an ecological approach that aims to Cultivate and Challenge our new colleagues, Advocate and Embolden them, Nurture and support new faculty navigating their new environments, and help them establish social and professional Networks that will increase their sense of belonging at Cornell and in their field.  We have developed and are implementing programs that effectively support our faculty through their career stages, with attention to their identities and background. Cornell’s FIRST Cohort faculty will follow an ecological approach to faculty development that aims to Cultivate and Challenge, Advocate and Embolden, Nurture and support faculty navigating their new environments, and help them cultivate social and professional Networks  to increase their sense of belonging at Cornell and in their field.

Cornell CANN is a new model of faculty development built on research-based mentoring, and our track record of successfully developing and implementing programs supporting our faculty, particularly those underrepresented or marginalized in their fields, throughout their career stages.

Cornell CANN will assign mentors and sponsors for new faculty joining Cornell, design and offer programs supporting them throughout their career, and create tools to assess their progress.

The core components of the CANN approach include programming, mentor and sponsor assignment, and the institutional policies and commitments that support this approach.

Faculty Development Plan